Chimera
by shaneequa
Summary: Chimera; a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy. In other words, Commander Skinner. Colab. w/ Emeilia-Rose


Title: Chimera  
Authors: Shaneequa and Emeilia-Rose  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: We wish we own it, sadly. We don't own anything.  
Summary: Chimera; a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy. aka Commander Skinner  
Spoilers: Chimera, Season 5  
Author's Notes: This was originally chapter four for our multi-chapter fic. We didn't want it just rotting in our computers so we thought we should share. Have fun reading(: - Jeanne  


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Jenny was going stir crazy sitting in her office. She had gotten use to walking around at this hour to the coffee shop with Gibbs in tow. He has been doing nice things for her lately.

Bringing her dinner at night, forcing her to take breaks at the same time each day for the past two weeks to get some coffee and to just talk. If she didn't know better, she would think he was up to something. Especially since Hollis Mann had all of the sudden disappeared.

It was odd, she had to admit, but she thought of it as a sign. That maybe, it was time to return the watch to its rightful owner and maybe… just maybe take that chance to be with him again.

Well, that wasn't going to happen if he was gone with his team to that mysterious ship that they were called to investigating. There was a possible virus in that ship that was possibly killing her agents. She didn't think that Diane would be right with time running out.

She really didn't want Diane to be right when it came to that.

It was why she was channeling her anger at the nearest and easiest escape goat.

Commander Skinner, the head of the Chimera operation. One stubborn man who refuses to read her in even with her access and was he was just getting on her nerves. It was good thing that he finally got the stick out of his ass and started to read her in. Not that she was really paying attention at the moment. She was more concerned about the well being of her agents. All she really needed to know what that the Chimera was doing something it wasn't supposed to and that's why she was currently being handed a Non Disclosure Agreement.

"I think you're gonna have to trust me, Director," Commander Skinner said about nothing in particular but the case. Jenny couldn't help but read between the lines though. She knew men well enough to know when they were hitting on her, and this one definitely was.

"I don't know you well enough," she said her voice cold hoping that he would get the message but knowing that he wouldn't.

"We can fix that," he said with a boyish smirk. It was a smirk that Jenny knew worked on other women; too bad she wasn't one of them.

She didn't fall for men that easily, which is why it was such a surprise to her when all of the sudden, she fell for her boss. A man who was engaged to another woman at the time, he had been off limits to her, but that didn't really matter. For at least a small amount of time, she loved him and he loved her. End of story.

That was the same man that was on the ship that Commander Skinner was so tight lipped about.

_I swear to God if anything happens to Jethro or his team, I will kill this man twice._

The Commander's eyes wandered down her shirt to the little hint of cleavage that her current attire displayed.

"You can cut the charm," Jenny started. "Higher ranking, richer and _definitely_ better looking men have tried that on me and didn't get very far."

She paused making sure that he was listening to her and absorbing her words. No doubt he still thought that he would be able to get her to 'get to know him better', a thought that many men before him had. Jenny knew that many people had suspected her of sleeping her way to the top, with her 'assets' it wasn't unheard of. She also knew that Commander Skinner would be like all those people.

"Now I can't speak for you, Commander, but I didn't get to where I am because of my looks. So get your eyes off of me and put some on that ship."

The Commander didn't know what else to say. He didn't know if he was more turned on the first time he met her or now, when her temper was apparent and her power was there for him to admire.

She pushed thoughts of how kill this man out of her head and focused on what she was good at, politics.

Gibbs was now informing her through an MTAC feed of all the possible things that could kill them, which now included some mysterious pirates. And, like she had grown to expect, Skinner was stone walling them.

Jen had tried to keep her anger in control and her professional façade on, but god was it hard when this man refused to cooperate even with her agents in danger. She would die before she let some egotistical commander hinder her agency's investigation. Right then and there she had stolen a page from Gibbs' book on dealing with difficult politicians, she resorted to threats.

And it worked, she got her way.

She watched the screen as something unfolded on the Chimera, though she couldn't tell what she knew it wasn't good. The closest view the satellites could get her were not nearly close enough in her opinion.

Her agents, or the bad guys she couldn't tell were scrambling around on the deck of the ship like ants. Then the smaller attack boat pulled away from the Navy ship, and she was not sure if she should see this change as good or bad. But, just when she was ordering the techs in the room to get the camera on the Chimera back on the explosion filled the screen.

She wasn't sure what she might have looked like, but void of emotion was a good guess.

She couldn't afford to let the Commander see her fall apart. But, they were gone. She was sure she could have done something to stop what had just happened, but instead she had pranced around MTAC worried about getting hit on.

As a result she had lost them.

She had lost Ziva, her friend and someone she could trust and had trusted with her life.

She had lost Tony, another friend and someone who could perk up your day with non-stop movie references.

She had lost McGee, somebody she had come to love as a son.

She had lost Ducky, a father figure and trusted confidant.

She had lost Jethro, right when she started thinking maybe there was something there for them to explore. She had lost him again and this time getting a promotion wouldn't bring him back in her life.

Her eyes left the screen and turned to meat Skinner's. She let out a ragged breath she didn't realize she was holding; the type of breath that was usually followed by tears and sobs. Her mouth hung open, he eyes wide and questioning. She wondered if he knew of this plan all along.

The self-satisfied look on his face gave her the answer she was looking for.

As quick as her emotions spilled out, she reigned them back in again. Instead of tears she released anger, probably the most she had ever felt.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She yelled her voice filling the dark room and drawing all eyes to her.

"It was a necessary precaution, that ship is top secret, and that means to everyone." His voice came out slow and unsure.

"Necessary? Is it not the job of this Country's armed forces to protect its citizens? No less the ones who risks there lives to protect this Country!" She said as she felt herself walking over to him, she wasn't really sure what she was going to do when she reached him, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

"I will nail you to the wall for this!" That time her voice was ice, it barely made it out of her clenched teeth.

Before she got close enough to physically hurt him, her phone went off. And no matter how much she wanted to ignore it and let her full force out on this man; her gut told her to answer it.

"Shepard," She sounded angrier she ever thought possible. Her eyes never left the Commander's as she awaited a response.

"Wow Jen, I thought you would be a little happy to hear we were alive." His voice teased over the phone.

Stupidly she had forgotten to check the caller ID before answering.

"Jethro?" She licked her lips which were beyond dry. She now realized how hot her face felt, most likely caused by the unshed tears that gripped her lashes.

"Yeah, we got off on the Russian's boat before Skinner's missile came," he answered like it was nothing.

"Jethro, I'm so-" She started before he cut her off.

"I know you wouldn't authorize this, no matter how mad you were, an explosion is just too messy," his voice was light, it made her mad. Did he not realize what she had just gone through?

"I'll arrange for the coast guards to pick you up and a chopper to bring you back to DC," she said before hanging up. It didn't matter how good that news had been, she had a certain Commander to take care of.

And now that she knew everyone was safe she would have no more distractions doing just that.

Gibbs walked from the elevator balancing the two cups of Jamaican blend coffee and a bag of take out with ease. Tonight's theme was Italian; grilled chicken fettuccine and shrimp scampi pasta. He was walking towards the office where he had been eating dinner in lately, sharing it with Jenny Shepard.

He knew that she would still be there working her ass off, because it's simply what she does.

He walked inside her office for the fourteenth night in a row sitting on the black leather couch and pulling out their dinner while setting their drinks on the table. Jennifer Shepard has gotten use to him bringing her dinner after the fifth night. If anything, she was now expecting him to come at night and bring her food.

"What's on the menu tonight?" she asked sitting down on one of the seats taking her heels off. She leaned over opening the foil containers and inhaling the scent before she took in what was in front of her.

"Fettuccine, my favorite."

Gibbs nodded handing her the spoon and the fork along with a knife knowing that she would eat it the proper way even when they were alone. She surprised him by only taking the fork and placing it onto the container reaching over for the garlic bread.

"You ever going to tell me why you're being nice to me, Jethro?"

It was true, it seemed like he was going out of his way to be nice to her the past two weeks.

She was glad that he was back, from the ship from hell.

He shrugged. "How was your day?"

"You almost died, Jethro. On a ghost ship, and you're asking me about _my_ day?" Jenny asked him appalled.

"Well you've had to deal with Commander what's his name –"

"Skinner?"

"He try to get at you?" Gibbs asked already knowing the answer to that question. From what he could tell simply by watching the man interact through webcam, he was an ass. He hoped that Jen blocked him and ignored his attempts to get her to go out with him.

"You _really_ want me to answer that, Jethro?"

"You say yes?"

Jenny looked at him trying to gauge his reaction. "No."

They tucked into their meal and the room was filled with a comfortable silence.

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